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Our time in Africa has sadly come to an end so I thought I'd finish this chapter of our travels before we fly to Thailand (on Saturday 16th) to experience a whole different culture and new array of experiences!
As you may know by now we have been spending Monday to Fridays volunteering in Hout Bay (about 15 minutes from Cape Town where we are living) at the primary, high school and township community centre. This experience has been at times rewarding but at others frustrating. The main activity at the primary school has been helping kids with computer skills - these computers have been donated by the Irish (who seem to give an awful lot to these communities, in housing also) and there is a set program for them to follow. Unfortunately as the computer skills we are teaching are very basic this can get very monotonous after a while and we would have preferred to have been hands on in the classroom a bit more. However we have also been helping the very young kids with literacy on a Tuesday mornings (as Jessie previously mentioned) which is a refreshing break from the computers.
We have been in
the actual classrooms only one or two days a week and this has involved us having to use our initiatives a lot more. Sadly the classes here lack a lot of structure and we feel there is a lack of communication between the project and the teachers to get the most out of the volunteers. However this is largely down to the fact that the teachers here are far from dedicated unlike how they would usually be at home. They don't seem to take advantage of the volunteers for the kids sake but sadly rather their own and sometimes get us to basically do there job for them (from marking books, typing things up on the computer or even leaving us in charge of the class). There is also a huge divide between the kids academic levels - only some kids can manage the work while many don't have a clue and really need to be put back to the basics. Fortunately we can help those who struggle and what is gratifying is that they really do appreciate it and want to learn (something I think we wouldn't find so much at home). I have enjoyed giving spelling tests and
the kids seemed to enjoy it even more!
The High school kids are more independent though and Jessie sometimes has had problems keeping their attention during netball. However I have been teaching guitar at the High School on Wednesday afternoons to a group of lads (aged between 16 and 18) and they can't get enough - this is really rewarding when they see you as being so valuable! After school is over we go to the township community hall where we help kids who are struggling with their homework and some of these have a strong desire to achieve even though the odds are stacked against them with their poor wealth and background. Here, as in the classroom, we have been helping mainly with English and Maths (of which some has come flooding back to me while other bits frustrating haven't, like bloody algebra!) plus I've been teaching a bit of chess also! The kids here as we have found all over Africa seem generally very happy despite their poor lifestyle and often smile and wave as we pass by. Maybe those who have less have more in other ways as they appreciate far more what little simpler things
they do have?! The township is like a shanty town - huts made of wood, steel and corrugated iron and cars (mostly very old Toyotas) that would last about 30 minutes on our roads at home, however all this is set to a stunning backdrop of a mountainous bay. A common sight on the road in Africa is a dozen black Africans crammed on the back of an old pickup truck and you also see so many people walking along the roads miles from anywhere.
School finishes at lunch time on a Friday, and last Friday afternoon we went to Robben Island (an essential trip if you are visiting Cape Town). Robben Island is (if you didn't already know) where they imprisoned Nelson Mandela (for nearly 20 years) along with many other political prisoners of the Apartheid era. We were first given a informal bus trip around the island with a very animated guide who could link the island's history to every nation on the bus (and did!). The view of Table Mountain is magnificent from here as it was on the boat trip that took us to the island. After we got off the bus we were given
a tour of the prison by a former in mate and visited the very cell where Mandela spent all those years. Prisoners here were made to carve the islands limestone and as a result lost part of their eyesight due to the sun reflecting off the rock. In the 19th century the island was used as a leper colony and a defense station during World War II. Saw lots more penguins and some huge seals in the Waterfront harbour when arriving back in Cape Town.
The next day we took a stroll through Cape Town trying to take in the sights we hadn't yet seen stopping for 'world famous' milkshakes at a Long Street cafe first before exploring the markets and castle. Ended up at the waterfront again (what seems to be the tourist hub) where we saw lots of street entertainers. The waterfront btw is right next to the 2010 world cup stadium which is still in the process of being built and looks huge - what a city for the world cup! After sipping Belgium beer at the harbour's edge we got a taxi back home from where we climbed the Lion's Head (so called due to
its shape) to see the sun set over the ocean on one side and the full moon rise over Table mountain on the other. This is a popular walk under full moon and we took our head torch to guide us back down the mountain in the dark.
The next morning, not satisfied by the fact we hadn't quite reached the top of the Lion's Head the previous evening (ok, Jessie wimped out on me) we got up at 5 to climb it once again - this time to see the sunrise! It took us about 1 hr 40 from the house and we ended up actually waiting for the sunrise which didn't appear till around 730! Such a stunning view from the top being able to view 360 degrees all around! Unfortunately as the sunrise was rather later than I had planned I (had to leave Jessie behind) had to literally run back down the mountain because I was being picked up at 845 for a day cage diving with Great White Sharks!!
The Western Cape of South Africa is Great White central and most of the wildlife footage you see of them will probably be off
the South African coast. Unfortunately Jessie is prone to sea sickness if it gets a bit rough and isn't so interested in these beasts as I am so stayed in Cape Town relaxing in the Company Gardens. I was taken on a 2hr journey before arriving in Gansbaai where most of the tours depart. We then boarded a 34ft vessel which took us some distance out before setting anchor and preparing the cage and bait. I was in a group of 16 with about 6 crew members. One guy stirred up the 'scent' (mushed up pilchards) at the back of the boat and threw the scented sea water overboard - not the fish though as they are not allowed to purposely feed them due to ecological reasons (like with any wild animal, they shouldn't be taught to associate humans with food). The bait was 2 tuna heads tied to a lure which was splashed into the water and dragged away from the shark when it was about to bite - though the faster ones (seemed to come out of nowhere) who were determined tended to get their prize! All this made very interesting fishing but it was when I went
down in the cage that I really felt the experience (sadly I don't have a waterproof camera so couldn't catch this and the photos from above really don't do it justice). The sharks were merely a few feet away from the side of the cage and when they turned to face me I quickly stopped holding onto the bars of the cage - they really do look as fearsome in real life!
In the week we have also visited the World of Birds at Hout Bay which has a very wide colourful selection of birds but more notable was the Monkey Jungle where you get a hands on experience with Squirrel Monkeys - very inquisitive creatures that jumped on us and tried to rob stuff out my rucksack! We also visited the Planetarium to learn about the stars and yesterday afternoon (our last day) we did some more wine tasting in the oldest wine farm in South Africa - Groot Constantia - just the other side of Table Mountain. We said farewell to our fellow volunteers with a meal at Mama Africa on Long Street. Farewell Africa!
P.S. please check out all the photos I've uploaded not only
to Facebook but now on the travelblog (check past entries!)
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Toobz
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Sharks
You're insane Si. I would NEVER go in that cage, not for anything!